Latch fastener for bags



Dec. 1924a 1,520,030

w. A. LOTZ LATCH FASTENER FOR BAGS Filed Nov. 5, 1923 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

v UNITED STATES 1,520,030 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. LOTZ, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, AssIeNoR .TOQTI-IE r a L 00., Inc, or NEWARK, N. J., A CORPORATION OF EW J RSEY.

LATCH FASTENER FOR ass.

Application filed November 3, 1923. Serial NO. 672,520.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. Lorz, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Latch Fasteners for Bags, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fasteners for that class of portable receptacles generically denominated as bags and more particularly to such as are used sup-v plementary to a central main fastening means, and known as latch fasteners.

One of the objects of the device is to provide a latch fastener in which the latch element, and catch carried by it, are powerfully but resiliently held in either of their extreme positions; that is to say, fully open or completely locked.

Another purpose is to produce a device which presents a substantially level top when closed except for the forwardly extending finger grip element, which is slight- 25 ly raised for convenience in operating.

A further aim is in the provision of an exceptional simple device of more than the ordinary strength, well adapted to withstand the hard usage to which such accouterments are often subjected.

The several Objects are attained by the novel construction and combination of parts hereafter described and shown in the annexed drawing, forming part hereof, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of an em-' bodiment of the invention, illustrating its application.

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section View thereof.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the assembled structure.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, Figure 1 shows a fragmentary portion of a conventional type of bag, designated by the numeral 10, having hingedly connected frame elements 11 and 12, the latter overlying the former when the bag is fully closed.

The fastener is composed of a metal boxlike body, an oblong rectangle in shape, having a level surfaced plate 14, raised at one end 15 its full width, provided with slightly flaring sides 16 and ends 17, their lower edges being inthe same level plane, parallel to the upper surface 14.

Extending in register from the ends 17 midway in their length, are prongs 18 adapted to be bent inward at right angles after passing through appropriate openings in the frame member 12, thus firmly securing the structure in position thereon, this body or frame, as will be obvious, being easily made from sheet material by ordinary die processes. v a v The sides 16 are pierced below the raised portion 15 to provide round openings 19 to receive the pivot 20, later described in detail, and the top plate 14 contains a narrow elongated slot 21 to admit of the free passage f the catch 22, the same having its Outer edge or profile curved on the axis :of the'pivot 20 and its hook-like lower end 23 shaped to engage with a keeper element (not shown) secured on" the frame member 11 in the usual manner. I

A det'ent 24 on the catch limits its upward movement by contacting with the under surface of the plate 14 at the end of the slot 21.

The widened upper end of the flat catch 22 is fixed permanently, in the manner shown or other equally secure way, at the under side of the latch plate 25, said plate having down-turned flanged sides 26 which extend rearwardly and are pierced to produce rectangular openings to receive the pivot pin 20, which is square, or at least shaped in cross section to presenttwo flat surfaces at a right angle.

The ends of said pivot projecting beyond the latch sides 25 are turned cylindrically, as at 27, and riveted over thin washers 28 on the outer surfaces of the sides 26, as extended atthe rear, these extensions having their ends curved to a radius struck from the pivot and their upper edges disposed in the plane of the element 15, which is level with the upper surface of the plate 25 when the latch is down. r i

The opposite end of the latch plate 25 is extended beyond the sides and curved outwardly producing a convenient finger grip 2S), easily accessible beyond the end of the body 01' frame as shown, and it will be understood that the sides 26 are closely adjacent the frame sides 16 when the latch plate is down.

A strong flat spring 30 is disposed against one of the flat sides of the pivot 20, said spring having arms 31 extending alongside the slot 21 and held rigidly t0 the underside of the plate 14 by means of rivets 32, as best shown in Fig. 3.

In operation, to release the bag frame sides, the parts being as shown in Fig. l, the fingers are applied to the grip 29, raising the catch plate and causing the pivot 20 to rotate.

This action depresses the spring until the latch plate has passed through an angle of forty-five degrees, indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 2, thereafter assisting in raising the latch until it is substantially vertical, at which time the catch 22 will be fully withdrawn from its keeper; obviously pressing the latch down causes the catch to reengage and the spring 30 acts to maintain these movable parts in either of their extreme positions.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple device for this purpose has been disclosed in the preferred form of its embodiment, but it is not desired to restrict the de tails to the exact construction shown, it being obvious that changes, not involving the exercise of invention, may be made without conflicting with the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A latch fastener comprising a hollow body, a latch plate having flanged sides embracing said body, a pivot having two flat surfaces at a right angle, said pivot being rotatably mounted in the side walls of-said body near one end and extending through close fitting openings in the flanged sides of said latch plate, washers on the extending ends of said pivot which are upset there over, a flat catch having an arcuate profile fixed in said latch plate, said catch operating through a slot in said body and having a detent preventing its entire extraction,

and a spring having forked members dis posed on opposite sides of the mentioned slot and riveted to the underside of said body, the free end of said spring impinging on one of the flat surfaces of said pivot when the latch plate is in either of its extreme positions.

2. A bag latch fastener comprising a hollow body presenting a main level upper surface having a raised portion at one end, a latch plate normally level with the raised portion, said latch plate having side elements reaching rearwardly and embracing the side walls of said body, a pivot journalled in the side walls of said body below the raised portion thereof, said pivot having at least two fiat sides in right angled relation, the ends of the pivot being rigid in the rearwardly extending sides of said latch plate, a catch member fixed in said latch plate to pass through said body, and a flat spring secured in said body the free end of said spring impinging on the flat sides of said pivot.

3. A bag latch fastener comprising a hollow body presenting a. main level upper surface having a raised portion at one end, a latch plate normally level with the raised portion, said latch plate having sideelements reaching rearwardly and embracing the side walls of said body, a pivot of angular cross section rotatable in the side walls of the body and fixed in the sides of the latch plate, a spring fixed in said body its free end being disposed below the raised portion thereof in contact with the sides of said pivot, a catch carried by said latch plate, and means on said catch limiting the outward motion thereof.

This specification signed and witnessed this 29th day of October, 1923.

WILLIAM A. LOTZ. lVitnesses FREDK. C. Frsornm,

F. NOLL. 

